When I was younger I used to see those scenes in a hospital where a person was bedridden, and due to injury they were stuck lying on their back. It used to freak me out that it could happen to me one day, should tragedy strike. Less the injury and more the idea I may be trapped on my back unable to sleep.
That’s right, up until recently I could not fall asleep on my back. It wasn’t a discomfort thing, I would just lie there awake until inevitably I would roll over and fall asleep. I am not able to sleep sitting in a chair either. When I went to Israel and Pakistan, the entire trip, I was awake. I got drunk on the plane and sobered up on the plane without sleep.
Yes, for real, this one’s about sleeping habits. I really needed to learn how to sleep on my back before one day I end up in the hospital.
I used to be an even bigger boy
At one point I was a solid 30-40 lbs heavier than I am. Only my body fat % compared to where I am at now. It was not good. I also like to sleep up against the wall, I never did grow out of that. It takes me a minute for me to acclimate to a new bed on trips. Up until recently I would struggle to even sleep the first night when I went somewhere new.
This all became a curiosity to me because when I was bigger, I started waking up with my arm numb. The best I can deduce is that I rolled onto my side, got stuck in a bad position, and messed around with the circulation to my arm.
It was really freaky. I’d wake up and for a solid few minutes have to bring the feeling back into my arm. It was kind of like my foot would go asleep, only my full arm. According to doctor Google this could be related to my sleep position. It recommended sleeping on my back.
This led to many nights of me trying to sleep on my back, only to fail and wake up with a numb arm. Inevitably I lost enough weight, or stopped rolling into that exact position that it stopped happening. I am so grateful, I remember experimenting with the distance the wall was from the bed, and whatever I could, to make it easier.
Still, why was it so hard to sleep on my back?
How to train yourself to sleep on your back
This is a really common search term. Enough you can find a lot of articles explaining how to sleep on your back better. I remember a few times lying in bed, on my back trying to sleep, Googling this topic.
Before anyone lectures me on screen time, the second I roll over I almost fall asleep immediately. I also never liked sleeping on my stomach. I think this is more related to habitual overeating than comfort. It never felt natural, the side sleeper position was my move.
I couldn’t find it now but I once found some testimonial article from a guy who did the deed. He pushed the limits and stayed on his back. He inevitably learned to sleep on his back and it gave me hope. In his case there was literal pain involved and I was grateful I was just a “pain-free, unable to sleep on my back” guy.
Still to not clickbait this section, well you need to practise. You lie there night after night and you refuse the urge to roll over. The goal is to get so tired, the exhaustion beats the desire to roll. That’s it, there’s no big secret.
You need to practise it like a skill. See how long you can lie there without moving. Inevitably, one day,the sleep will kick in.
My back is for naps, my side is for deep sleep
I can only sleep through the night on my back when I am truly tired. Like those days you’ve been up 20+ hours grinding and then partying. Especially when I was exerting physical effort like turning up.
Now, I find lying on my back perfect for naps. If I lie there long enough I will first enter this more active dreaming state. It’s not exactly active dreaming, but it’s definitely not passive and I can still remember stuff. I more or less composed the outline for this blog while I was in the process of falling asleep.
It still takes a good 10-15 minutes to happen, but inevitably I’ll fall asleep. However it’s not that deep a sleep and after an hour or so I am up. Perfect for recharge naps.
When it’s time to really fall asleep I roll over. If I roll over in an afternoon nap, 2-3 hours can easily go by. I don’t know why it works like that for me, but that’s how it works. One day I’ll try some stomach sleeping and let you know how it goes. Oh, with a bunch of edibles I can sleep 2-3 hours sitting on a bus these days.
Alrighty well now you know more about how I sleep at night. Let me know if you sleep on your backs in the comments.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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